A s simons



(No Model.)

A. S. SIMONS.

CLOTHES DAMPENING MACHINE.

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented Oct. 8, 1895.

KN) i G) Gamma;

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. S. SIMONS. CLOTHES DAMPENING MACHINE. No. 547,689. Patented Oct. 8, 1895.

n H a: W x Q :5 0 S? g: l Q *3 t 0 Q 3 2. 1 k A g t \p 1 x N t i K i I: 3g

' i I, W o v f I I w) a" Q a a o g i? N g a:

wad mo avwmtoz (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet: 3.

A. S. SIMONS. CLOTHES DAMPENING MACHINE.

No. 547,689. Patented Oct. 8, 1895.

Witmamao V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED 'S. SIMONS, OF PORT CHESTER, NEW- YORK.

CLOTHES-DAMPENING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,689, dated October 8, 1895. Application fil d March 14, 1895. Serial No. 541,684. (No model.)

To allwho'm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED-S. SIMONS,'a

citizen of the United States, residing-at Port Chester, in the county of Westchester and,

State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Clothes-Dampening Machines; ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 is a side view of a clothes-dampening machine according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section at line as, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an end view of the machine.

This invention relates to machines adapted exclusivelyto dampening the clothes preparatory to their being ironed; and its object is to' provide mechanical means for feeding the clothes to and from the dampening-rollers,

' means for delivering the dampening water evenly upon the clothes and for forcing the water into the fabric of the clothes, and means for dampening or moistening the clothes from either or both the upper and under sides thereof.

To this end my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a clothes-dampening machine hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichrepresents the end portions, and 6 the bed of the frame. 7 is the main rollercovered with hard rubher and journaled in the end portions 5 and provided with a driven pulley 8, which may receive motion directly from a main shaft driving-pulley, and with an idler-pulley 9 for the driving-belt when the machine is not in service.

10 is the upper dampeningwoller covered with hard rubber and journaled in boxes 11, which are fitted to slide up and down freely in the end portions 5, and 12 represents springs bearing on the journal-boxesandprovided with hand-screws 13, by means of which their tension or regulated.

14 is the water-supply pipe provided with pressure upon the boxes may be anarm 15, which extends across the machine over the roller 10 and is perforated at its lower side throughout itsleng-th as asprinkler.

and I do hereby declare the follow 16 is a stop-cock, by means of'which the sup- .ply of water to the sprinkler may beregulat'ed or cut off.

17 is the lower dampening-roller journaled in boxes 18, which are fitted to slide up and down in the end portions 5 and provided with pressure-springs 19 and tensionscrews 20, whereby the pressure of the roller 17 up against or toward the drivingroller 7, may be regulated.

,21 is a drip-pan located beneath the roller 7 to catch any water that has not been soaked into the clothes and drops from the said roller, and the roller l7is mounted so that its lower portion enters the water in the drip-pan and its upper side rolls against the roller 7 when in-service.

22 is a. branch of the main supply-pipe 14, leading into the pan-21 and provided with a stop-cock 23, whereby the pan maybe provided with a constant supply of water.

24 is an overflow-pipe enteringthe drip-pan 21 near its top to discharge all surplus water therefrom, and-25 and Y26 represent a dis charge pipe and stop cock, respectively, whereby the drip-pan maybe completely em ptied.

27 is a roller-shaft journaled in boxes 28,

i which are fitted to slide .in brackets 29 of the end portions 5, and 30 represents a series of wooden rollers mounted upon the said shaft, each. roller being circumferentially grooved opposite to .a corresponding groove'in the main roller 7 for string or cord belts 31 to travel in. On the opposite side of-the machine and inthe same horizontal plane as the roller-shaft 27 is a mate 32 thereto, journaied in boxes 33, fitted to slide in brackets 34vof the end portions 5.

35 represents a series of grooved wooden rollers mounted on the shaft 32, around which the aforesaid string-belts 31 travel.

' 36 and 37 represent springs acting against the boxes 28 and 33, respectively,,to hold them outward against the string-belts 31 to hold them distended with a yielding pressure, and 38 39 are hand-screws, whereby the distance that the boxes 28 and 33 may be moved outward is positively limited.

-In laundryrwork it is very necessary that metals that will rust, such as iron and steel, be keptbeyond contact with the clothes and rod the water that is used to dampen them. To

this end -1 construct the two end pieces 5, the V bed-piece 6, and-the rollers 30 and3 5 of, wood.-

The water-pipes and thebearing-boxes,screws,

and springs are preferably made of brass; but the legs, being beyond the reach of water, may be made of anysuitable material. The three rollers 7, 10, and 17 are metal bodies covered with hard rubber, and the drip =p'an is of galvanized iron.

' The operation is as follows; Firstopen the I cocks 16 and 23. Then when theroller 7 has.

been set in motion it will continually revolve the strings 31 around it and therollers 30 and .35. Now, if sheets, shirts,-pillow-slips, shame, or other work to be dampened beplaced upon the strings 31 at the in-feeding side such articleswill be drawn between the rollers 7 and 10 and becarried out at the delivery side on the same strings 31; It will be seen that the rollers .30and 35 extend entirely beyond the bed of the machine, so that sheets, &c., may be fed through automatically from abasket or truck at one side to a basket or truck at the other side after each piece is started in on.

the strings 31-. In the meantime the sprinkler-pipe 15 hasbeen sprinkling water evenly throughout the length of the roller IO-on its upper side, and by. the time that roller IOrevolves farnough to bring the waterin conflict with the work the water. has spread evenly on the roller, andis consequently delivered in an even sheetnpon the workQthe thickness of that a sheet or the amount of water delivered being regulated by the stop-cock'lfi, so that the.

work, properly speaking, is evenly dam pened throughout the .breadth and-length of each piece, the evenness of thedampening being further aided by the'pressureof the rollers upon the work at the instant of dampening.

The lower roller 17 acts as an accessory to the upper roller '10 by carrying-waterup from the "trough 21 in an even sheet to the under side of the main roller'7, whereby theunder side of thick goods is dampened but the chief merit of thislower roller is that intrausmit ting to the main roller 7 no more-water than is taken up by its lower portion runningin water it may be used without the aid of the sprinkler 15 v to dampen very thin and' delicate: goods, 'which would be soaked-by the least delivery that'could be given to pipe 15 th'roughout'its length, The main roller'7 is the only one which is directly driven, and that is by a common belt, not strong enough to draw in the hand of an operator. There is no posi-. tive gearing which would endanger even a careless operator. The grooves for the strings 31 are important, not merely forkeeping the twisted cords in place, but to permit the rollers 7. and-1O to come close together upon the thinnest work withou't impressing other, the lower one being circumfereutially grooved a series of grooved rollers mounted on two shafts journaled at; the sides of the machine in a horizontal plane belowrthe dampening rollers and belts in the grooves of the first and second named grooved rollers; a. water pipe perforated in 'its'under side and located above the dampening rollers; a drip-pan'b elow the rollers and another roller journ'aled to revolve in the pan and against the lower of the said dampeningirollers substantially-as described, whereby' the clothes may be carried through the machine and be dampened either on their. upper or under side, or both, at one operation,-'as maybe required. a

In testimony whereofI affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

, ALFRED S. SIMONS. Witnesses: V Y

WILLIAM H.'SCOFIELD, FRANK H. BRO N. 

